Beth's Profile
Teaching science was one of my initial career choices, but I strayed away from it because there were too many science courses I wanted to take and I wanted to study abroad, which proved too difficult to manage with the course load required for the teaching program. I am back in the teaching groove, and as a person who acts on impulses, I want to teach because I love exploring science and nature, and I love working with kids so here I am. As I have gone through education courses and seen teaching strategies in practice I find that successful teaching is in how the students are treated, the content that is delivered, and HOW that content is delivered.
Teaching Rationale:
As a future educator, I hope to have a teaching style that excites students in preparation for class and in coming to class. I feel sometimes that this is an unrealistic goal because there will always be a few, if not several students who have no interest in science whatsoever. I think the most important idea to instill in students is that constant learning is what helps us grow. I know only a few of my students will go on to pursue a career in science, but I want to show all my students that what they have learned has helped them grow, and that the activities we do in class have purpose outside the classroom. Everyone can use the skills from class and apply it to the outside world whether it be working cooperatively with others or learning a computer skill or learning how to start a compost pile. I also hope to make students feel more confident in themselves and their ability to be successful in science courses. I too often feel that students fear the sciences because the terminology can sound like a foreign language and they don't believe their ideas could possibly be right, but I want to show students that they can become fluent and relaxed within science terms and concepts and that what they think about the world of science DOES matter. Above all, I want to show students I respect their individuality and encourage friendships that may not have existed without my influence as a kind and caring teacher.
As much as I love science, I don't expect my students to leave the class in excitement about gel electrophoresis (although it is pretty cool), but I want them to see why I love science so much and how a passion can develop into something more if you follow it with diligence. For example, I think students who have a passion, like playing an instrument, would relate and pay more attention to a teacher who displayed the same kind of passion for what he/she teaches. Also, if a teacher notices what students' passions are and takes time to focus on them for portions of class or in other school functions, then students will have a greater respect for their teacher.
Through the education courses I have taken and my experience in the field I have come to realize that the most respected and effective teachers use many different ways to deliver course content that holds students' attention and stimulates their brains. Since teachers don't always have a lot of flexibility in the topics they teach because of state and national standards, the years can become repetitive and teacher enthusiasm can be lost. This not only puts a damper on the teacher's career, but it also projects onto the student morale and desire to learn. That is why teachers need to be upbeat and constantly recruit ideas from websites, workshops and their own innovation. Using different strategies to teach the same content will teach the students ways they can do their own research and and ways they can learn in other subjects. In science especially, recognizing constant ideas in current issues can help the students find something to relate to. This could be achieved by having a weekly assignment of checking a credible science website and writing a small summary and reflection of an article on the site. Other ways to deliver the content could be to vary the assessments instead of having quizzes-tests-quizzes-essay..etc. The students could be assessed by something creative and in groups or independently. An example might be setting lyrics to your favorite song describing cell division and replication. Whatever the idea, the teacher should show enthusiam and constantly ask the students questions so they have to consciously probe their minds for an answer.From the science teacher's inquisitve nature, they can develop that spark of interest into a burning flame of curiosity that leads to the never ending process of learning and discovery. As a teacher I hope I can make changes in the education world and have a positive impact on students' lives.
~Beth Copeley
"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only teach him to find it for himself."
-Gailieo Gailiei
"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives."
- Clay P. Bedford
Some more ideas:
Teach to be a role model for future "global citizens"
Teachers not only introduce students to new information in their content area, but they help mold adolescents into people that can be very successful in this world. Success can be measured academically, by overcoming fears, by pushing onesself just a little bit harder than thought possible, by having more fun than though possible...
I don't want to teach students to memorize, which seems to be the most difficult task in science, especially for the biology/ general science field because there are so many facts that can't be learned without some memorization. I want to work with the knowledge base of the facts and have students create their own scenarios with the facts that they know and have them explain why they came up with what they did.
Teaching science was one of my initial career choices, but I strayed away from it because there were too many science courses I wanted to take and I wanted to study abroad, which proved too difficult to manage with the course load required for the teaching program. I am back in the teaching groove, and as a person who acts on impulses, I want to teach because I love exploring science and nature, and I love working with kids so here I am. As I have gone through education courses and seen teaching strategies in practice I find that successful teaching is in how the students are treated, the content that is delivered, and HOW that content is delivered.
Teaching Rationale:
As a future educator, I hope to have a teaching style that excites students in preparation for class and in coming to class. I feel sometimes that this is an unrealistic goal because there will always be a few, if not several students who have no interest in science whatsoever. I think the most important idea to instill in students is that constant learning is what helps us grow. I know only a few of my students will go on to pursue a career in science, but I want to show all my students that what they have learned has helped them grow, and that the activities we do in class have purpose outside the classroom. Everyone can use the skills from class and apply it to the outside world whether it be working cooperatively with others or learning a computer skill or learning how to start a compost pile. I also hope to make students feel more confident in themselves and their ability to be successful in science courses. I too often feel that students fear the sciences because the terminology can sound like a foreign language and they don't believe their ideas could possibly be right, but I want to show students that they can become fluent and relaxed within science terms and concepts and that what they think about the world of science DOES matter. Above all, I want to show students I respect their individuality and encourage friendships that may not have existed without my influence as a kind and caring teacher.
As much as I love science, I don't expect my students to leave the class in excitement about gel electrophoresis (although it is pretty cool), but I want them to see why I love science so much and how a passion can develop into something more if you follow it with diligence. For example, I think students who have a passion, like playing an instrument, would relate and pay more attention to a teacher who displayed the same kind of passion for what he/she teaches. Also, if a teacher notices what students' passions are and takes time to focus on them for portions of class or in other school functions, then students will have a greater respect for their teacher.
Through the education courses I have taken and my experience in the field I have come to realize that the most respected and effective teachers use many different ways to deliver course content that holds students' attention and stimulates their brains. Since teachers don't always have a lot of flexibility in the topics they teach because of state and national standards, the years can become repetitive and teacher enthusiasm can be lost. This not only puts a damper on the teacher's career, but it also projects onto the student morale and desire to learn. That is why teachers need to be upbeat and constantly recruit ideas from websites, workshops and their own innovation. Using different strategies to teach the same content will teach the students ways they can do their own research and and ways they can learn in other subjects. In science especially, recognizing constant ideas in current issues can help the students find something to relate to. This could be achieved by having a weekly assignment of checking a credible science website and writing a small summary and reflection of an article on the site. Other ways to deliver the content could be to vary the assessments instead of having quizzes-tests-quizzes-essay..etc. The students could be assessed by something creative and in groups or independently. An example might be setting lyrics to your favorite song describing cell division and replication. Whatever the idea, the teacher should show enthusiam and constantly ask the students questions so they have to consciously probe their minds for an answer.From the science teacher's inquisitve nature, they can develop that spark of interest into a burning flame of curiosity that leads to the never ending process of learning and discovery. As a teacher I hope I can make changes in the education world and have a positive impact on students' lives.
~Beth Copeley
"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only teach him to find it for himself."
-Gailieo Gailiei
"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives."
- Clay P. Bedford
Some more ideas:
Teach to be a role model for future "global citizens"
Teachers not only introduce students to new information in their content area, but they help mold adolescents into people that can be very successful in this world. Success can be measured academically, by overcoming fears, by pushing onesself just a little bit harder than thought possible, by having more fun than though possible...
I don't want to teach students to memorize, which seems to be the most difficult task in science, especially for the biology/ general science field because there are so many facts that can't be learned without some memorization. I want to work with the knowledge base of the facts and have students create their own scenarios with the facts that they know and have them explain why they came up with what they did.
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